Lever lock



C. WI RIBBLE.

LEVER LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED rB.26. 1921.

1 ,408,225. Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

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fm@ 5 A gab@ M' NN A umm ||||||||||||f l v|||| MENTDR UNITED n STATESi PATENT orifice.

CHARLES W. RIBBLE, 0F TOLEDO,Y OHIO.

LEVER LOCK.

Application led February 26, 1921. Serial No.`448,145. i

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. RIBBLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Toledo, county of Lucas, and State yof Ohio, have made an invention appertaining to Lever Leck; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

rThis invention relates to means particularlyfor use in connection with the ball type of gear shift or control levers of automobiles to lock the same in neutral or inoperative position. Y

The object of my invention is the provision of a locking means of the character described, which is simple and efficient in its construction, and capable of being easily and quickly applied to a lever and of being operated to lock the same in neutral or inoperative position or to release the same.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying j drawings, in which,-

F ig. l is a side elevation of a lock em# bodying the invention in operative locking engagement with a control lever and with parts broken away. Fig. zf2 is a central vertical section thereof with parts in full and Fig. 3 is a cross section thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a hollow standard or housing with its upper portion contracted and open at its top and having a cross shaft 2 mounted with its ends projecting beyond the sides of the housing. The control lever 3 projects down into the housing and is mounted on the shaft 2 for universal rocking movements thereon to adapt it to be shifted longitudinally or transversely thereof as is customary with levers of this type, `and its lower end projects down through the housing to connect with the parts to be shifted. A hood or shell 4 of semi-spherical form fits down over the upper end of the housing 1 for universal shifting movements thereon and has an .openingl in its top which closely receives the lever 3. The hood 4i has its lower edge provided with notches at opposite sides thereof for loosely straddling the projecting ends of thepivot pin 2. The features above described are common to shift levers of the ball shift type except that the ends of thek pin 2 do not customarily project beyond the sides of the housing 1.

In carrying out my invention I mount a cylindrical shell 6 around the upper contracted end of the housing 1, which shell has openings 7 in opposite sides thereof for receiving the projected ends of the pivot pin 2. The lower end of the shell is clamped to the housing in the present instance, by set screws 8. rlhe shell G at its upper end has its wall inwardly curved in concentric relation to the hood i and is provided at one sidev with an opening 9. A cap 10 is iXedly mounted on the lever 3 over the hood 4 in spaced relation thereto and has its'skirt portion curving outward and downward substantially in concentric relation to the hood 4. and upper end portion of the shell 6 and at the outer side of the latter, whereby the capmay have rocking movements with the lever relative to vthe shell 6.V The lower edge of the cap 10 laps the upper end of the shell 6 and is provided at one side with an outwardly projecting cylindrical boss 11 Vwhich is rhollow or axially bored to receive a lock barrel 12 for longitudinal or. axiall shifting movements therein.

The lock barrel 12 is provided at its inner endl with a locking stud or projection 13 adapted to enter the hole 9 and for locking coaction with the shell 6 when the lock barrel is at the limit of its inward movement and the lever 3 is in neutralV position. lThe barrel 12 carries a locking mechanism of the cylinderloek type, the bolt or locking member 14 of which'is adapted to enter either one of a pair of sockets 15 and 16 in the wall of the boss 11 to .respectivelyT lock thebarrel in either lockedior released relation to the shell 6, as is apparent. A screw 17 projects through the wall of the boss 11 and into a longitudinally extending slot 18 in the side of thebarrel 12 to coact with the ends ofthe slot to limit the shifting move-y ments of the barrel. It is evident that even though the screw 17 were removed the barrel vcould not be withdrawn from the bess when the bolt 14 was engaged with either socket 15 or 16.

A pin 19 is inserted into a cross-hole 2O l in the hub portion of the cap and through a registering hole in the lever 3 to secure the cap in position on the lever. In order to prevent the pin 19 from being driven out of the hole 2O a hole 21 is drilled or provided in the cap 10 in intersecting relation to an end of the hole 2O and terminan ing at one end inthe interior of the boss 11, the cap being formed with a web 22 eX- tending from the hub portion of the cap to the boss 11 for such purpose. A lock pin 23f is inserted in the hole 21 at one end ot the pin 19. lt is thus evident that if the pin 19 has both ends terminating Within the hole 2O and one end in abutment With the pin 23 it cannot be driven from the hole 20, and it is also evident that if the pin 23 terminates at both ends Within the hole 21 it can only be removed from the hole by lirst removing the lock barrel 12 Yfrom the boss 1 and then inserting a tool through the interior ot the boss and into the inner end of the hole 21 to drive or force the pin outwardly from the. hole.

2i designates a coiled compression spring which is interposed between the hood d and hub portion ot the cap lO'ivith its ends-thrusts thereagainst so as to yiel'dingly retain the hood fl seated on the upper endet the housing 1. ln order to lock the pin 2 against removal from the shell G and housing A1 when the lever is in locked neutral position the cap Q.10 is provided at opposite sides thereotl uiith downward extensions 25 which lap respective ends ot the pin 2.

It is evident that l have provided a simple and efficient lock Which is capable of being easily and quickly applied to certain types ot gear shift control levers now in use; that it is composed of few parts and is capable of being easily operated to lool: the lever in neutral position or to release the same, and at the same time is oit such a nature as to make it exceedingly dillicult to be broken or released except by the use of a key suitable Jfor the lock.

.l Wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specilic construction, arrangement or -form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modilications and changes Without departing trom the spirit ot the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what' `claim `as new and desire to Letters Patent, is,- Y Y 1. ln combination, a housing, across pin mounted in the upper part` of the housing and having its ends projecting beyond the same, a shift lever mounted on the pinwithsecure by in the housing for universal shifting movements, a shell embracing the upper end of tie housing andicarried by the projected ends of the pin, said shell having an opening inv its side Wall, a member lined to the lever and having a part overhanging the portion of the shell in Which .the `opening is disposed, and locking lmeans carried by he member torinovement into and out of locking engagement with the shell vopening and adapted to be locked to the member in either locking or released relation to the shell. y p

2. lncombination, a housing, across pin mounted in the upper portion of the housing, a shift` lever fulcrumed on the pin Within the housing for `universal shifting movements and having its ends projecting beyond the housing sides, a shell enclosing the upper .end of the housing and having a loch opening and openings for receiving they projected ends of the pin, a cap lixedly carried by the lever and having its skirt extending doivn around the upper portion of the shell and having parts which lap thc ends of the pin when the lever is in neutral position, said cap having an apertured boss at one side thereof, a locking barrel mounted in the boss 'lorgshifting movementstoward and away -from the vshell and having `an innerend part for movement into and out the loclr opening' oit the shell, and means carried the barrel and'v operable to lock` itto the cap in releasedvor locking relation.

to the shell.

3. ln combination, a shift lever, means receiving an end of the shift lever and in 1which it is tulcrumed, a member mounted on the shitt lever and having al part extendf ingrdoivn at a side of said means and pr`0- vided with an opening, locking means removably mounted in the opening and operable to engage the first means and lock the cap Aand lever against shifting movements relativethereto, said member and shaft having a registering cross hole therethrough Vandthe `member having a second holey which intersects an end portion of the cross-hole and terminates at one end in the member opening, a pin disposed in theV cross hole .with its ends terminating therein, and a locking pin disposed inthe second hole Without an end of the crosspinan'd havingv its ends terminatinof inthe hole. Y

ln testimony whereof I havei hereunto subscribed my name to this specification.

t errantes W. RIBBLE. 

